Users and non-users of doctors--implications for self-care

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Patient Behavior
• Health Perception

Background:

• Understanding patient decision-making for seeking general practitioner (GP) care is crucial for healthcare management.
• Previous research indicates various factors influence healthcare utilization, but direct comparisons between attender and non-attender groups with similar symptoms are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the characteristics and motivations of patients who visited their general practitioner (GP) with those who did not, despite experiencing similar recent symptoms.
• To identify key differences in self-perceived health, self-treatment, personal issues, and barriers to care between these two patient groups.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study design was employed, matching 60 GP attendees with 60 non-attendees based on sex, age group, and general practitioner.
• Non-attendees had similar recent symptoms but had not visited the GP for at least one year.
• Data collection involved comparing self-perceived health, self-treatment attempts, reported personal problems, and perceived obstacles to visiting the doctor.

Main Results:

• Patients visiting the GP perceived themselves as less healthy compared to non-attendees.
• Fewer visiting patients reported attempting self-treatment, while more reported significant personal problems.
• Obstacles to visiting the doctor were reported less frequently by patients who attended their GP appointment.

Conclusions:

• Self-perceived health status and the presence of serious personal problems appear to be significant drivers for seeking general practitioner care.
• Reduced self-treatment and fewer perceived barriers facilitate patient access to primary healthcare services.
• These findings highlight the importance of addressing patient's perceived health and personal circumstances in primary care access.